Wednesday, July 10, 2013

When Long Becomes Medium

Documenting the marathon training is starting to seem a little silly to me, but I know I'll want it in the future.  So, for anyone who isn't interested in yet another running post, this would be one to skip.

Every week I run four times.  The first and third runs are short runs, the second is a medium distance, and the fourth day is the long run.  I've scheduled my runs for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  This week the medium run bumped up from four miles to five.  It's amazing to me to think that it was only three and a half weeks ago when I was nervous to run five miles for my first long run. Even more amazing is knowing that in seven weeks the five mile distance will be the short runs in my week.  It's not easy, but it is doable.  I never thought it would be easy.

Probably the hardest thing about upping the miles is the time commitment.  I seem to have a mindset that a workout lasts for around 30 minutes and then you get on with your day.  Five miles, including the warm up, cool down, and stretching, takes me over an hour.  The miles go up just a little at a time so, while it is challenging, the amount of time I spend on the road or on the treadmill is harder than the physical work.  At least it is at this point.  I imagine that when the long runs get past 10 or 12 miles I'll think the physical demands are the hard part.

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